The invention relates to a hand-held lighting device comprising a light source and a switching device for switching the light source on and off.
More particularly, the invention relates to a hand bag light which serves for illuminating the interior of a container such as a hand bag. EP 0 958 756 A and DE 10 2010 044 320 B4 describe lighting devices of this type wherein the switching device responds to the signal of a touch sensor or proximity sensor. When the user puts her hand into the open hand bag in order to search for articles accommodated therein and then touches the lighting device, the light source is switched on automatically so as to illuminate the interior of the hand bag.
It is also known to switch off the lighting device by means of another sensor which detects the open/close condition of the container and assures that the light source is switched off automatically when the container is closed again.